MRS. BUSH: Thank you all. Thank you very, very much. Thank you.
Welcome to the White House. I'm thrilled that we can honor this year's
Preserve America Presidential Award winners here at one of America's
most historic homes.

These awards recognize collaborative efforts to protect and enhance
our nation's cultural and historical heritage, so that generations of
Americans will be able to experience. This year's winners provide a
glimpse of life as it once was lived, and they also encourage people to
enjoy scenic beauty of some of America's most gorgeous landscapes.

The projects we honor instill love of our great American
traditions. They educate Americans about our past and about our
natural world. And they demonstrate how communities can increase local
pride and improve local economies when they restore and showcase their
history.

This month is National Preservation Month. It's a great month for
Americans to visit Preserve America sites. They're wonderful
destinations for school field trips, for family adventures, or even for
a romantic getaway. (Laughter and applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: A couple of funny lines one evening and she gets
carried away. (Laughter and applause.) Laura Leno Bush. (Laughter.)

We welcome you to the White House. We welcome you to the Rose
Garden. I hope you think it's as beautiful of a place as we do.
(Applause.) And we're honored to have some of America's outstanding
community leaders and preservationists with us.

Laura is a preservationist, she's done a lot of good work here at
the White House. She's helped restore the Cabinet Room. Most recently
she restored the Lincoln Bedroom, based upon old photos. And you've
left your marks in your communities and she's going to leave a great
mark here in Washington, D.C., as well. I'm really proud of her.
(Applause.) And we're both proud of the hard work you're doing to
preserve historic resources in your communities and helping to sustain
the national memory for future generations.

I appreciate Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, for joining
us. Welcome, Madam Secretary. And I want to thank Fran Mainella, who
is the Director of the National Parks system. Thanks for coming. I
appreciate Congressmen John Barrow of Georgia and Donna Christensen of
the Virgin Islands. Welcome. Glad you both are here. Thank you for
coming. (Applause.)

I appreciate Bruce Cole being here. He's the Chairman of the
National Endowment of the Humanities. And I want to thank my longtime
friend from Texas, John Nau, who is the Chairman of the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation. Welcome. (Applause.) And Bobby, good
to see you, Bobby.

Like you all, Laura and I want every American to have a chance to
learn about this country's history, and to enjoy our national
treasures. So in 2003, we created the Preserve America Presidential
Awards, to recognize outstanding contributions to America's cultural
and national heritage. The efforts of today's award winners have drawn
tourists to museums and towns, created jobs and revitalized
neighborhoods. They've also opened new opportunities for learning.

The first Preserve America award winner we honor this year has
helped extend the legacy of one of Laura's favorite authors, Edith
Wharton. When we first moved to the White House, she was reading Edith
Wharton's books. Sometimes it was hard to get her to turn off the
light. (Laughter.) By the way, this wasn't the first time she read
Edith Wharton's books, it was the second time she read Edith Wharton's
books.

And today we are proud to recognize the efforts of Edith Wharton
Restoration, to restore The Mount, the Massachusetts country estate of
this American literary icon. Edith Wharton once said that there are two
ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects
it. Your work reflects her light, and will enrich our national
heritage. Congratulations. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)

The second award recipient is close to our hearts. The Texas
Heritage Trails program has mapped out special driving routes through
the state to encourage regional tourism and bring some of Texas' proud
history to light. Parents can take their children on a drive to learn
about pioneers and cowboys. (Laughter.) That would not be the Dallas
Cowboys, although they're -- (laughter.) And as they do so, they get to
see the great diversity and beauty of the Texas landscape.

One potential visitor even expressed interest in riding the whole
650-mile Texas Independence Trail on a bicycle. That was not me.
(Laughter.) When I move back to Texas, I can't wait to see the delights
of the trail again.

Congratulations, and welcome. (Applause.)

Our third award recipient has restored a site almost as old as
America, itself. In St. Genevieve, Missouri, Bolduc Historic Properties
has fixed up some of the state's first French Colonial homes, right on
the banks of the Mississippi River. The restoration of the 18th Bolduc
House has attracted visitors from around the country and has drawn rave
reviews. Historical restoration is a job for --

MRS. BUSH: Eighteenth century. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: You've become a comedian and an editor. (Laughter.)
We're glad you're here. (Applause.)

Historical restoration is a job for perfectionists, as I was
saying. (Laughter.) And our fourth recipient teaches us an important
lesson: If something is worth doing, it is worth doing right. When the
Historic Savannah Foundation and Davenport House Committee discovered
that an earlier restoration on the Isaiah Davenport House Museum was
historically inaccurate, they started over. Isn't that right? And you
got the job done right this time.

The Davenport House inspired Savannah's unique ethic of
preservation and led to the restoration of hundreds of other historic
buildings. The city of Savannah has become a model for other towns to
emulate. Tourists visiting historic sites contributed more than a
billion dollars to Savannah's economy last year.

We welcome you here. Congratulations on doing well. (Applause.)

Again, Laura and I welcome you. Establishing the Presidential
Awards is a small way of encouraging acts of preservation around our
country. We look forward to giving the awards next year. We hope those
who are listening become inspired by the examples of our recipients.
Again, we congratulate our recipients and thank you for a job well
done. May God bless you all. (Applause.)